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Jung Min-ho

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.

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Foreign Affairs

Ukrainian Embassy apologizes for diplomat assaulting bar worker, police officer

gettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoThe Ukrainian Embassy in Seoul apologized over a case of alleged assault involving one of its diplomats.According to government sources on Friday, the embassy will send its first secretary back to Ukraine soon. The official was questioned by police on Tuesday for allegedly assaulting a bar employee and a police officer in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon in Seoul.Police said they released the official soon afterward due to his diplomatic immunity.“The embassy would like to express its sincere apology to the Korean public and anyone involved for any distress or inconvenience caused by the incident,” the embassy said in a statement issued on Thursday night. “As a responsible member of the diplomatic community in Seoul, the Embassy of Ukraine and its staff respect and strictly abide by the laws and regulations of the Republic of Korea.”The incident comes at a sensitive time for Ukraine, which has been making the utmost efforts to garner international support for its military forces in the war against Russian invaders.Just two

Jul 28, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Ukrainian Embassy apologizes for diplomat assaulting bar worker, police officer
North Korea

Unification ministry to create unit supporting victims of North Korean abductions

Kim Yung-ho, right, new unification minister, poses with President Yoon Suk Yeol at the presidential office in Seoul, Friday, as he officially begins his term. The ministry said that it will launch a new department dedicated to supporting the victims of abduction by North Korea. YonhapUnder new head, ministry plans to curtail inter-Korean exchangesBy Jung Min-hoUnder a new leader, the Ministry of Unification is poised to get tough on North Korea.The ministry said on Friday that it will launch a new department dedicated to supporting the victims of abduction by North Korea as part of its reform effort to focus more on the North's poor human rights record in handling inter-Korean relations.At the same time, the ministry will significantly reduce its exchanges with Pyongyang. Four units responsible for inter-Korean talks, trade and other possible joint projects will be merged under a single body, with some 80 officials expected to be relocated to other divisions or ministries.The announcement comes a month after President Yoon Suk Yeol called on the ministry not to operate like a &ldquo

Jul 28, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Unification ministry to create unit supporting victims of North Korean abductions
Defense

Yoon, delegates from 22 countries pay tribute at UN cemetery

President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Kun Hee pay their respects to fallen soldiers of the Korean War during a visit to the U.N. Memorial Cemetery in Busan, Thursday. Yonhap Resting place remains symbol of 'fight for freedom and peace,' minister saysBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk Yeol and delegates from 22 nations visited the United Nations (U.N.) Memorial Cemetery in Busan, Thursday, where they paid tribute to fallen heroes and marked the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.Yoon and other visitors, including war veterans, paid their respects to the sacrifices of those who died while fighting for South Korea under the same U.N. flag against communist forces, in front of the Wall of Remembrance, which carries the names of more than 40,000 United Nations casualties.The cemetery ― the only one officially recognized by the U.N. ― is the resting place for some 2,300 freedom fighters from 11 countries.A

Jul 27, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Yoon, delegates from 22 countries pay tribute at UN cemetery
  • Yoon lauds sacrifice of UN veterans of Korean War
Defense

Seoul may have 1.5 years to take advantage of NCG: ex-national security adviser

Former National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han / NewsisSecurity experts express concern about possibility of Trump's return to White HouseBy Jung Min-hoPresident Yoon Suk Yeol surprised the world earlier this year by mentioning the possibility of South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons in response to growing nuclear threats from the North.However, given the potentially destructive consequences to its economy and alliances, Seoul later came up with an alternative ― launching the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) with Washington to strengthen the U.S.' extended deterrence commitment to defending South Korea with all of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons.Yet many of the more than 30 security and defense experts gathered at a seminar on the South Korea-U.S. alliance in eastern Seoul, Wednesday, expressed skepticism and concerns about the sustainability of the NCG, a policy agreement that could be overturned if Joe Biden loses the election next year.In a clear reference to Donald Trump, a Republican contender who has a significant, perhaps insurmountable, lead in po

Jul 26, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Seoul may have 1.5 years to take advantage of NCG: ex-national security adviser
Defense

Delegates from 22 countries gather in South Korea for war anniversary

Korean War veterans and their families from 21 countries wave hands during a welcome breakfast at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul in southern Seoul, Tuesday. The event, co-hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation, the Korea Defense Veterans Association and Yoido Full Gospel Church, was held ahead of Thursday's ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement. Yonhap Veterans who fought for freedom under UN flag mark 70 years of armisticeBy Jung Min-hoDelegations from 22 countries that defended South Korea against communist forces during the 1950-53 Korean War gathered in Seoul on Tuesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953. The 200 delegates, including 64 war veterans, were welcomed by South Korean officials at a hotel, where they reflected on the meaning of their blood, sweat and tears shed on the battlefields of the peninsula and the legacy of their sacrifices.Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor at Yoido Full Gospel Church, the host of a breakfast meeting there, honored both the living heroes and those fallen in the

Jul 25, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Delegates from 22 countries gather in South Korea for war anniversary
  • I would fight for South Korea again, says foreign veteran of Korean War
Foreign Affairs

Polish president to visit Korea next month

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Polish President Andrzej Duda shake hands after their summit at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, July 13. Duda will visit Korea early next month. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoonBy Jung Min-hoPolish President Andrzej Duda will make a visit to Korea early next month, during which he may meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol.According to ruling party sources Monday, Duda will arrive in the country during the Aug. 1-12 World Scout Jamboree on reclaimed land in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province. The northern Polish city of Gdansk is the next host of the quadrennial event for Scouts around the world.It is still unclear whether the trip will include a presidential summit. But if so, it will be their second meeting in only a month after their first one on July 13 in Warsaw, during which they agreed to strengthen defense industry ties and support for Ukraine's reconstruction efforts among others. As part of the follow-up measures, Duda could visit the production facilities for the weapons his country is seeking to procure and meet with representatives

Jul 24, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Polish president to visit Korea next month
Politics

Opposition lawmakers draw flak for overseas trip amid flood crisis

Rep. Park Jeung of the Democratic Party of Korea speaks to reporters at Beijing Capital International Airport in China, in this June 15 file photo. A group of opposition party lawmakers have come under criticism for pushing ahead with their overseas trip during a flooding crisis. YonhapBy Jung Min-hoWhen President Yoon Suk Yeol made a surprise visit to Ukraine on July 15, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized him over the trip taken while a flooding crisis was unfolding at home. Now, the party is facing similar criticism over its own lawmakers traveling overseas.Rep. Park Jeung, chief of the National Assembly's committee responsible for oversight of the executive branch's flood response, was among the four lawmakers who pressed ahead with a five-day trip to Vietnam and Laos this week at a time when heavy rain was forecast to pound South Korea.Amid mounting criticism of hypocrisy and irresponsibility, Park and two others ― Reps. Yoon Joon-byeong and Choi Ki-sang ― said they would return earlier than originally planned. But Rep. Park Byeong-seug, former vice sp

Jul 24, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Opposition lawmakers draw flak for overseas trip amid flood crisis
Society

Gov't officials donate $1.5 mil. to underprivileged

gettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoTop government officials have donated 2 billion won ($1.56 million) to 455 underprivileged families.According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Sunday, many vice ministers and higher-level officials under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration have earmarked 10 percent of their salaries since this January to help such households through a project run by the Korea National Council on Social Welfare, a charity and research organization under the ministry.So far, 225 households have received 1 billion won between March and June. An additional 230 families are being selected by the organization as the next beneficiaries. It said their donations have eased the financial burden of the recipients, helping with medical and educational expenses.Top-ranking officials at 46 government departments and agencies as well as some 170 state-run institutions have participated in the donation project.“We will continue to step up efforts to spread kindness and support for our underprivileged neighbors,” Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said in a statement.

Jul 24, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Gov't officials donate $1.5 mil. to underprivileged
Law & Crime

Worries continue over hundreds of suspicious international parcels

Firefighters and soldiers enter a post office in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, after receiving a report about a suspicious parcel found there, Sunday. YonhapPresidential office holds meeting with police, spy agency amid ongoing investigationBy Jung Min-hoConcerns about possible terrorist acts using chemicals continued over the weekend amid an investigation into suspicious international packages delivered to hundreds of seemingly unrelated Korean addresses.In a message to the public, police warned against opening the parcels labeled with “CHUNGHWA POST,” as they could contain toxic materials. So far, more than 640 such packages sent via Taiwan were confirmed to have been delivered to addresses across the nation including Jeju Island since Thursday. Police said all of them are now under scrutiny.An X-ray scan raised an alarm early Sunday over a potentially harmful gas inside a package delivered to a home in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. But after an additional inspection, police later said they found no such gas.The mysterious parcels have stoked fear and confusion si

Jul 23, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Worries continue over hundreds of suspicious international parcels
  • Police investigating 679 suspicious int'l parcels among 2,141 reports nationwide
North Korea

Beijing 'actively enables' trafficking of North Korean women, girls: rights groups

This April 15, 2019 photo shows a woman wiping tears from her face during an event marking the anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, founder of North Korea, in Pyongyang. AFP-YonhapActivists call on China to fulfill its promise to protect victims ahead of UN reviewBy Jung Min-hoBeijing vowed to take all measures necessary to combat the crime of human trafficking at its second and third cycle of Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR), a U.N. peer-review of the human rights records of all member states, held in 2013 and 2018 respectively.But after a decade of inattention, if not deliberate ignorance on the part of Chinese authorities, North Korean women and girls remain easy targets of human traffickers resulting in them frequently becoming victims of various crimes including sexual extortion.Ahead of China's fourth UPR cycle, expected to be held early next year, human rights groups have called for the country to fulfill its own promise to better protect North Korean escapees. In a joint statement sent to U.N. member states, they also urged governments around the world, including South Ko

Jul 20, 2023By Jung Min-ho
Beijing 'actively enables' trafficking of North Korean women, girls: rights groups
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